LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

GIFT    OF 


Class    30% 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA   PUBLICATIONS 

BULLETIN    OF  THE    DEPARTMENT  OF 

GEOLOGY 

Vol.  4,  No.  13,  pp.  263-286,  Pis.  31-37  ANDREW  C.  LAWSON,  Editor 


COLD  WATER   BELT  ALONG  THE  WEST 
COAST  OF  THE   UNITED   STATES 


BY 

RULIFF  S.   HOLWAY 


BERKELEY 

THE  UNIVERSITY  PRHSS 

November,  1905 
PRICE     25    CENTS 


The  BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  GEOLOGY  of  the  University  of  California  is  issued  at 
irregular  intervals  in  the  form  of  separate  papers  or  memoirs,  each  embodying  the  results  of  re- 
search by  some  competent  investigator  in  geological  science.  These  are  made  up  into  volumes  of 
from  400  to  500  pages.  The  pricf  per  volume  is  $3.50,  including  postage.  The  papers  composing 
the  volumes  will  be  sent  to  subscribers  in  separate  covers  as  soon  as  issued.  The  separate  numbers 
may  be  purchased  at  the  following  prices  from  the  UNIVERSITY  PRESS,  to  which  remittances  should 
be  addressed:  — 

VOLUME  1.  PRICE 

1.  The  Geology  of  Carmelo  Bay,  by  Andrew  C.  Lawson,  with   chemical   analyses   and   coop- 

eration in  the  field,  by  Juan  de  la  C.  Posada 25c 

2.  The  Soda-Rhyolite  North  of  Berkeley,  by  Charles  Palache  lOc 

3.  The  Eruptive  Rocks  of  Point  Bonita,  by  F.  Leslie  Ransome 40c 

4.  The  Post-Pliocene  Diastrophism  of  the  Coast  of    Southern    California,    by    Andrew    C. 

Lawson 40c 

5.  The  Lherzolite-Serpentine  and  Associated  Rocks  of  the  Potrero.  San  Francisco,  by         ~\  r 

Charles   Palache  /  In  one 


6.  On  a  Rock,  from  the  Vicinity  of  Berkeley,  containing    a    New    Soda   Amphibole,   by  t  covfr- 

Charles   Palache .        .        .        .        .        .        .   )  30c 

7.  The  Geology  of  Angel  Island,  fry  F.  Leslie  Ransome,    with    a    Note    on   the    Radiolarian 

Chert  from   Angel  Island   and  from  Buri-buri  Ridge,  San  Mateo  County,  California, 

by  George  Jennings  Hinde        . .              .  45c 

8.  The  Geomorphogeny  of  the  Coast  of  Northern  California,  by  Andrew  C.  Lawson      .        .  30c 

9.  On  Analcite  Diabase  from  San  Louis  Obispo  County,  California,  by  Harold  W.  Fairbanks  25c 

10.  On  Lawsonite,  a  New  Rock-forming  Mineral  from  the  Tiburon  Peninsula,  Marin  County, 

California,  by  F.  Leslie  Ransome lOc 

11.  Critical  Periods  in  the  History  of  the  Earth    by   Joseph   LeConte 20c 

12.  On  Malignite,  a  Family  of  Basic,  Plutonic,  Orthoelase     Rocks,     Rich    in    Alkalies     and 

_  Lime,  Intrusive  in  the  Coutchiching  Schists  of  Poohbah  Lake,  by  Andrew  C.  Lawson     .  20c 

13.  Sigmogomphius  LeContei,  a  New  Castoroid   Rodent,  from   the  Pliocene,  near  Berkeley, 

by  John  C.  Merriam 10c 

14.  The  Great  Valley  of  California,  a  Criticism    of  the    Theory    of    Isostasy,    by  F.  Leslie 

Ransome *  45c 

VOLUME   2. 

1.  The  Geology  of  Point  Sal,  by  Harold  W.  Fairbanks 65c 

2.  On  Some  Pliocene  Ostracoda  from  near  Berkeley,  by  Frederick  Chapman       .        .        .  10c 

3.  Note  on  Two  Tertiary  Faunas  from  the  Rocks    of    the    Southern    Coast    of    Vancouver 

Island,  by  J.  C.  Merriam 10c 

4.  The  Distribution  of  the  Neocene  Sea-urchins   of  Middle  California,  and  Its  Bearing  on 

the  Classification  of  the  Neocene  Formations,  by  John  C.  Merriam        ....  lOc 

5.  The   Geology  of  Point  Reyes  Peninsula,  by  F.   M.   Anderson 25c 

6.  Some  Aspects  of  Erosion  in  Relation  to  the  Theory  of  the  Peneplain,  by  W.  S.  Tangier 

Smith ...  20c 

7.  A  Topographic  Study  of  the  Islands  of  Southern  California,  by  W.  S.  Tangier  Smith  40c 

8.  The  Geology  of  the  Central  Portion  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  by  Oscar  H.  Hershey  30c 

9.  A  Contribution  to  the  Geology  of  the  John  Day  Basin,  by  John  C.  Merriam       .        .        .  35c 

10.  Mineralogical  Notes,  by  Arthur  S.  Eakle lOc 

11.  Contributions  to  the  Mineralogy  of  California,  by  Walter  C.  Blasdale       ...          .  15c 

12.  The  Berkeley  Hills.     A  Detail  of  Coast  Range    Geology,  by    Andrew   C.  Lawson    and 

Charles  Palache " 80c 

VOLUME  3. 

1.  The  Quaternary  of  Southern  California,  by  Oscar  H.  Hershey 20c 

2.  Colemanite  from  Southern   California,  by  A  rthur  S.  Eakle 15c 

3.  The  Eparehaean  Interval.     A  Criticism  of  the  use  of  the  term  Algonkian,  by  Andrew 

C.   Lawson        . lOc 

4.  Triassic  Ichthyopterygia  from  California  and  Nevada,  by  John  C.  Merriam        .        .  50c 

5.  A  Contribution  to  the  Petrography  of  the  John  Day  Basin,  by  Frank  C.  Calkins        .  45c 

6.  The  Igneous  Rocks  near  Pajaro,  by  John  A.  Reid 15e 

7.  Minerals  from  Leona  Heights,  Alameda  Co.,    California,  by  Waldemar  T.  Schaller  15c 

8.  Plumasite,  an  Oligoclase-Corundum  Rock,  near  Spanish  Peak,  California,  by  Andrew  C. 

Lawson "...  lOc 

9.  Palaeheite,  by  Arthur  S.  Eakle lOc 

10.  Two  New  Species  of  Fossil  Turtles  from  Oregon,  by  O.  P.  Hay       .        .  1  In  one  cover. 

11.  A  New  Tortoise  from  the  Auriferous  Gravels  of  California,  by  W.  J.  Sinclair     /  lOc 
1  "2.  New  Ichthyosauria  from  the  Upper  Triassic   of  California,  by  John  C.  Merriam       .        .  20c 

13.  Spodumene  from  San  Diego  County,  California,  by  Waldemar  T.   Schaller       .        .        .  lOc 

14.  The  Pliocene  and  Quaternary  Canidae  of  the   Great    Valley    of    California,    by   John    C. 

Merriam 15c 

15.  The  Geomorphogeny  of  the  Upper  Kern  Basin,  by  Andrew  C.  Lawson        ....  6oc 

16.  A  Note  on  the  Fauna  of  the  Lower  Miocene  in  California,  by  John  C.  Merriam       .        .  05c 

17.  The  Orbicular  Gabbro  at  Dehesa,  San  Diego  County,  California,  by  Andrew  C.  Lawson  lOc 

18.  A  New  Cestraciont  Spine  from  the  Lower  Triassic  of  Idaho,  by  Herbert  M.  Evans       .  lOc 

19.  A  Fossil  Egg  from  Arizona,  by  Wm.  Conger  Morgan  and  Marion  Clover  Tallmon      .        .  lOc 

20.  Euceratheriunv  a  New  Ungulate  from  the  Quaternary  Caves  of  California,  by  William 

J.  Sinclair  and  E.  L.  Furlong lOc 

21.  A  New  Marine  Reptile  from  the  Triassic  of  California,  by  John   C.  Merriam        .        .  05c 

22.  The  River  Terraces  of  the  Orleans  Basin,  California,  by  Oscar  H.  Hershey     .        .        .  35c 


OF  THE     " 

UNIVERSITY  ) 

OF 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA   PUBLICATIONS 

BULLETIN    OF  THE    DEPARTMENT  OF 

GEOLOGY 

Vol.  4,  No.  13,  pp.  263-286,  Pis.  31-37  ANDREW  c.  LAWSON,  Editor 


COLD  WATER  BELT  ALONG  THE  WEST 
COAST  OF  THE   UNITED   STATES 

BY 
RULIFF    S.    HOLWAY 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Introduction  ....................................................   263 

Temperature  Observations  of  the  Tuscarora  .......................    266 

Temperature  Observations  of  the  Albatross  .......................   269 

Inshore  Belt  of  Cold  Water   ..............................  ,  .......    271 

Two  Problems  Presented   .........................................   274 

Cold  Water  along  Other  Coasts  ...................................   274 

General  Temperature  Conditions  of  the  North  Pacific  ................    277 

Maximum  Surface  Temperatures   ...............................    278 

Minimum  Surface  Temperatures   ...............................   278 

Eange  of  Surface  Temperatures  ................................   278 

Temperature  of  Ocean  Bottom  ............................  279 

Hypothesis  accounting  for  Cold  Water  Belt  ........................    281 

Summary  ...................................  ogg 


INTRODUCTION. 

Although  considerable  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  question 
of  ocean  currents  off  the  west  coast  of  the  United  States,  yet 
much  work  remains  to  be  done,  that  accurate  information  as  to 
the  limits,  direction  and  temperature  during  the  year  of  the 
various  streams  or  drifts  may  be  ascertained.  The  Pilot  Charts 
of  the  North  Pacific,  issued  monthly  by  the  United  States  Hydro- 
graphic  Office,  give  for  each  of  the  four  seasons  a  somewhat 
schematic  current  chart  which  is  virtually  a  composite  of  the 
observations  received  by  that  office.  Upon  the  face  of  each 
sheet  there  is  a  statement  printed  in  red,  calling  attention  to  the 


172922 


264  University  of  California  Publications.          [GEOLOGY 

meager  data  upon  which  the  currents  are  charted.  In  the 
preparation  of  the  Pilot  Charts,  only  actual  reports  by  officers 
crusing  in  the  Pacific  are  considered  and  particular  attention  in 
observing  and  reporting  currents  is  requested  of  all  mariners. 

The  amount  of  current  reported  by  a  vessel  is  the  difference 
in  the  position  of  the  vessel  each  day  as  obtained  by  dead  reckon- 
ing and  the  position  obtained  by  astronomical  observation.  In 
getting  the  position  by  dead  reckoning,  there  are  several  sources 
of  error.  Among  these  are  the  variation  of  the  log  in  finding 
the  velocity  of  the  ship,  the  failure  of  the  man  at  the  wheel  to 
hold  the  ship  accurately  to  the  prescribed  course,  and  the  un- 
certainty as  to  the  exact  variation  of  the  magnetic  needle.  This 
last  source  of  error  may  be  of  considerable  amount.  The  North 
Pacific  Pilot  Chart  for  February  1904  says:  "Taking  the 
whole  of  the  navigable  world  into  consideration,  it  would  be 
conservative  to  state  that  the  general  uncertainty  in  the  heading 
of  a  ship  at  sea,  arising  from  an  inaccurate  knowledge  of  the 
variation  of  the  needle,  is  as  much  as  two  degrees. ' '  This  alone 
would  make  a  discrepancy  of  15  to  20  miles  between  the  calcu- 
lated and  the  true  position  of  a  fast  steamer  at  the  end  of  each 
day's  run.  Turning  to  the  other  half  of  the  problem,  it  is 
found  that  a  probable  error  of  2%  miles  must  be  allowed  in 
obtaining  the  true  position  by  astronomical  observation.*  The 
difference  between  the  ship's  position  as  determined  by  these 
two  methods  with  the  possible  sources  of  error  is  reported  as 
current  or  drift.  It  is  well  to  note  that  the  reports  of  steamers 
have  not  the  same  value  as  those  of  sailing  vessels.  The  sailing 
vessel  is  occasionally  becalmed  for  an  entire  day  and  then  the 
difference  in  position  between  two  astronomical  observations 
gives  a  reasonably  accurate  determination  of  the  drift.  The 
normal  rate  of  a  ship  being  known,  it  would  seem  as  if  it  might 
fully  be  allowed  for,  and  hence  the  current  might  be  determined 
from  a  vessel  under  way,  with  an  equal  accuracy  as  from  a 
drifting  ship.  This  would  be  true  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that 
ocean  currents  and  drifts  are  not  large  masses  of  uniformly 
moving  water,  but  rather  relatively  narrow  streams  with  bands 

*  Estimate  by  Professor  George  Davidson. 


VOL.  4]  Holwaij.—Cold  Water  Belt.  265 

of  calm  water  or  even  counter  eddies  between.  A  steamer  mov- 
ing rapidly  may  pass  through  several  narrow  streams  of  differ- 
ing velocity  or  even  differing  direction  and  its  report  of  current 
would  then  be  the  algebraic  sum  of  the  various  currents  en- 
countered. A  becalmed  ship  or  even  a  slow-moving  sailing- 
ship  is  apt  to  remain  in  one  stream  for  the  entire  24  hours. 
This  is  supposed  to  account  for  some  of  the  widely  differing 
reports  of  sailing  vessels  and  of  steamers  in  traversing  the  same 
region.  With  the  increasing  commerce  of  the  Pacific  the  num- 
ber of  reports  from  both  steamers  and  sailing  vessels  will  in- 
crease, and  reasonably  correct  information  will  be  obtained  for 
the  zones  traversed  by  regular  vessels.  For  the  parts  of  the 
ocean  out  of  the  usual  courses  laid  down,  reliance  must  be  placed 
in  the  scientific  expeditions  devoted  to  oceanic  research. 

An  important  addition  to  the  reports  of  currents  encoun- 
tered by  vessels  are  the  so-called  "bottle  tracks."  Bottles 
usually  made  of  rubber  are  thrown  overboard  with  an  inclosed 
slip  giving  the  latitude  and  longitude  of  the  ship  at  the  time. 
On  the  bottles  is  a  printed  request  that  they  at  once  be  returned 
to  the  authority  conducting  the  investigation,  with  a  statement 
of  the  time  and  place  of  finding.  The  bottle  track  is  the  line 
connecting  the  place  of  starting  and  the  place  where  found. 
A  minimum  rate  of  drift  is  thus  established.  The  line  of  drift 
and  the  time  that  the  bottle  may  be  stranded  on  some  coast 
before  being  found  are  the  elements  of  uncertainty.  If  the 
bottle  is  so  weighted  as  to  expose  practically  no  surface  to  the 
wind,  its  movement  depends  entirely  on  current  or  drift  and 
"bottle  tracks"  thus  form  a  valuable  element  in  current  deter- 
mination. 

A  third  important  source  of  information  is  found  in  the 
constantly  growing  mass  of  data  on  ocean  temperatures.  The 
thermometer  is  one  of  the  most  reliable  instruments  in  deter- 
mining currents.  Unfortunately  much  of  the  data  for  ocean 
temperatures  on  this  coast  is  scattered  through  the  reports  on 
file  in  the  Hydrographic  Office  and  is  not  accessible  to  the 
public.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  more  of  this  will  be  tabulated 
and  made  available  to  investigators  as  has  been  done  by  Mr.  C. 


266  University  of  California  Publications.          [GEOLOGY 

H.  Townsend*  for  the  work  of  the  Albatross  for  the  years  1883- 
1900.  The  original  observations  upon  which  this  paper  is  based 
are  found  largely  in  Mr.  Townsend 's  compilation  and  in  the 
valuable  work  of  Admiral  Makarofff  which  tabulates  tempera- 
tures taken  in  the  North  Pacific  from  1804  to  1890,  but  does  not 
include  the  work  of  the  Albatross. 

TEMPERATURE  OBSERVATIONS  OP  THE  TUSCARORA. J 

Some  of  the  most  marked  peculiarities  in  the  temperature 
distribution  off  the  west  coast  of  the  United  States  are  well 
shown  by  tabulating  the  observations  of  Commander  Belknap 
of  the  U.  S.  S.  Tuscarora.  In  1873  the  Tuscarora  had  been  de- 
tailed for  the  purpose  of  finding  a  suitable  route  for  a  cable 
between  the  United  States  and  Japan.  A  series  of  soundings 
was  made  on  lines  running  west  from  the  Pacific  Coast  to  deter- 
mine the  slope  and  the  general  nature  of  the  ocean  bottom  near 
shore.  Incidentally  the  temperature  of  the  ocean  water  was 
taken — the  series  of  observations  is  fairly  complete  for  surface 
and  bottom  temperatures  but  rather  incomplete  for  serial  tem- 
peratures showing  the  conditions  at  intermediate  depths.  The 
surface  temperatures  obtained  on  14  lines  running  approxi- 
mately west  from  the  coast  and  at  intervals  from  Cape  Flattery 
to  San  Diego  are  given  in  the  table  herewith.  The  first  tem- 
perature in  each  line  is  the  temperature  found  nearest  shore. 
Unfortunately  this  is  not  at  a  constant  distance  from  the  coast 
line.  Where  the  difference  is  material,  the  first  sounding  is  set 
o\er  a  corresponding  amount  in  the  table. 

The  first  line  of  soundings  was  made  September  17  to  20, 
1873 ;  the  eight  lines  from  Flattery  Rocks  to  San  Francisco,  Oc- 
tober 20  to  November  6 ;  the  lines  between  San  Francisco  and 
San  Diego  from  December  20  to  30.  As  these  observations 
were  distributed  over  a  period  of  three  months,  each  line  of 
soundings  must  be  taken  by  itself  to  avoid  confusing  seasonal 

*  U.  S.  Fish  Commission,  Eeport  for  1900,  pp.  387-562. 
t  Makaroff,  S.  Le  Vitiaz  et  L 'Ocean  Pacifique,  St.  Petersburg,  1894. 
j  Belknap,  Geo.   E.,   Deep   Sea   Soundings  in  the  North  Pacific.     U.   S. 
Hydrographic  Office,  1874. 

Found  also  in  Makaroff 's  work. 


CO 

p 
p 

0 

San  Nicholas 

3 

CO 

E- 

1 
f 

5. 

5° 

Pt.  Carmel 

San  Francisco 

CO 

Si 
2. 

B 

p 

C.  Mendoeino 

Trinidad  Head 

M 

B 
V 

8 

o 

e* 

^ 

C.  Foulweather 

Flattery  Eocks 

p 

CD" 
3 

Shore  end  of  line 

co 
to 

CO 
CO 

CO 
CO 

CO 

to 

CO 

h^ 

Oi 
CO 

CO 
Ol 

1—  1 
Ol 

CO 
OS 

to 

Ol 

CO 

o 

CO 

GO 

CO 

CO 

CO 

o 

0 
00 

o 

0 

CO 
0 

Ol 

to 

*- 

GO 
Ol 

First  5 
Latitude 

r  § 

to 

00 

CO 

Ol 
CO 

to 

o 

to 

0 

Ol 
GO 

to 

to 

o 
^ 

IO 

CO 

CO 
OS 

to 

CO 
OS 

to 

o 

to 

i£ 

CO 

o 

to 
s 

to 

to 

Ol 

to 

4^ 

to 
to 

to 

Ol  _ 

°  ^ 
to 

0  § 

P   Qj 

" 

a 

a 

a 

e 

o 

C5 

" 

-. 

o 

3 

a 

a 

« 

O 

» 
rl- 

CO  h-i 
CD   GO 

rt-  CO 

99 
CD 

1/1 

CD 
00 

Ol 

h-" 

Ol 

CO 

Ol 

b 

Ol 

Ol 

to 

bo 

co 

OS 

GO 

bi 

Ol 

CO 

to 

Ol 

o 

Ol 
O 

Ol 

CO 

os 

Ol 
Ol 

b 

Ol 

Ol 

b 

Ol 

to 

bo 

Ol 
Ol 

os 

co 

Ol 

to 

Ol 

bo 

Ol 
01 

io 

Ol 

Ol 

b 

Ol 

Ol 

bi 

Ol 
Ol 

b 

Ol 

CO 

h-  1 

Ol 
OS 

Ol 

o 
to 

Ol 

to 

co 

Ol 

CO 

to 

Ol 

co 
b 

Ol 

os 
*. 

Ol 

o 

Ol 
Ol 

b 

Ol 
Ol 

bo 

Ol 

CO 

CO 

Ol 

O3 

bi 

O 

01 

O 

Ol 
OS 

b 

Ol 

Ol 

b 

Ol 

b 

Ol 

CO 

to 

Ol 

to 

b 

Ol 

co 
b 

Ol 
OS 

bo 

Ol 

to 

h-  ' 

Ol 

OS 

Ol 

b 

Ol 

Ol 

CO 

bo 

Ol 

cc 

Ol 

Ol 

b 

Ol 

Ol 

co 
b 

Ol 

Ol 

OS 

Ol 

h- 

b 

Oi 

b 

Ol 

b 

Ol 

b 

Ol 

GC 

to 

Ol 
00 

b 

Ol 

H 
o 
B 
§ 

Ol 
00 

b 

9 

si 

Ol 

co 

03 

Ol 
OS 

Ol 

to 

Oi 

CO 

b 

Ol 

-q 

05 

Ol 

b 

Ol 

GO 

Q 

Ol 
GO 

bi 

gj 

cr 

Ol 

GO 

b 

Ol 

P 
bi 

g 

bo 

O 

o 

OS 

CO 

o 

CO 

0 

CO 
OS 

02 

o 

CO 

o 
to 

O 

o 

OS 

co 

o 
o 

Oi 

0 

o 
to 

o 

o 

CO 

co- 

o 

Ol 

0 

o 

to 

-. 

h-  ' 

o 
o 

CO 

h-  ' 
O 

(—  * 

z; 

Northing  or 
Southing 

O 

Sj  a 

>  rO 

^  hd 

§  > 


rr     H 

m  S 


CO     H 

o  d 

a  w 


Q 


w 


He)     O 

S3      g 

S      >• 
^1 

|i 

hr|  W 
IT  « 
^  W 


»    ^ 


GO 


_  w 


1267] 


268  University  of  California  Publications.          [GEOLOGY 

changes  to  changes  due  to  differences  in  latitude  or  to  distance 
from  the  coast  line.  In  the  published  records  of  the  observa- 
tions we  are  not  given  the  time  of  the  day  nor  the  condition  of 
the  weather.  According  to  Buchan's  discussion  of  the  Chal- 
lenger observation,  the  daily  variation  of  the  temperature  of 
the  surface  of  the  sea  does  not  exceed  1°  F.  In  general  the 
differences  considered  in  this  paper  greatly  exceed  that  amount. 

The  first  line  of  temperatures  in  the  table  is  but  a  part  of  a 
survey  extending  from  Cape  Flattery  nearly  to  Dutch  Harbor 
on  the  island  of  Unalaska,  made  during  the  latter  part  of  Sep- 
tember, 1873.  The  first  temperature  near  shore  was  50.4°.  In 
going  westward  120  miles  and  northward  about  40  miles,  the 
temperature  increased  to  59°.  From  this  point  the  rest  of  the 
survey  shows  a  gradually  falling  temperature,  but  the  initial 
temperature  of  50°  was  not  again  reached  until  the  vessel  was 
nearly  1,000  miles  to  the  westward,  about  370  miles  north  of  the 
starting  point  and  only  some  200  miles  from  the  island  of 
Kadiak  on  the  Alaska  Coast. 

This  increase  of  temperature  on  first  leaving  the  coast  and 
the  subsequent  slow  decrease  are  more  striking  when  it  is  con- 
sidered that  the  last  records  were  made  two  weeks  later  in  the 
autumn  than  the  first. 

The  next  eight  lines  of  survey  represented  in  the  table  ex- 
tend off  shore  from  100  to  200  miles.  Their  lengths  are  shown 
approximately  in  the  table  where  each  column  represents  15' 
of  longitude.  These  lines  uniformly  indicate  that  the  water 
near  shore  is  colder  than  that  further  to  the  westward  along 
the  entire  coast  from  the  Straits  of  Fuca  to  San  Francisco. 
The  lowest  temperatures  obtained  are  at  Cape  Mendocino  and 
Trinidad  Head  and  are  at  the  two  stations  which  are  the  closest 
inshore.  They  are  also  near  the  change  to  the  southeast  in  the 
direction  of  the  coast  line.  It  is  noteworthy  that  these  lowest 
temperatures  are  not  those  found  further  north.  On  the  con- 
trary, according  to  the  data  now  at  hand,  it  is  more  than  500 
miles  to  the  northward  before  surface  water  as  cold  as  that  near 
the  coast  between  Cape  Blanco  and  Cape  Mendocino  is  reached, 
during  the  late  summer  and  the  early  fall. 


VOL.  4]  Holway.—Cold  Water  Belt.  269 

Southward  of  San  Francisco  the  temperatures  in  the  table 
do  not  show  such  marked  variations.  The  first  three  lines — all 
north  of  Point  Conception — are  in  harmony  with  the  existence 
of  an  inshore  belt  of  cold  water.  South  of  Point  Conception 
there  is  no  evidence  of  such  a  cold  belt.  As  indicated  in  the 
table  the  length  of  the  lines  south  of  San  Francisco  is  less  than 
that  of  those  to  the  north.  The  Point  Sal  and  the  San  Nicolas 
lines  also  vary  greatly  from  east  and  west  lines. 

South  of  Point  Conception,  the  submarine  plateau  or  con- 
tinental shelf  is  much  wider;  that  is,  there  is  a  much  broader 
area  of  comparatively  shallow  water.  This  wider  continental 
plateau  and  the  bend  in  the  coast  line  at  Point  Conception  are 
probable  elements  in  the  causes  which  determine  the  absence  of 
a  marked  inshore  belt  of  cold  water  off  southern  California. 

The  temperatures  in  the  table  with  those  obtained  by  the 
Tuscarora  in  the  cable  survey  from  San  Diego  to  Honolulu  have 
been  laid  off  on  the  coast  survey  charts;  the  cable  survey  tem- 
peratures, like  the  others  already  considered,  give  no  indication 
of  a  cold  belt  near  shore,  south  of  Point  Conception.  For  the 
first  150  miles  from  San  Diego,  the  surface  temperatures  vary 
from  58°  to  59°.  Beyond  that,  the  temperature  slowly  rises  as 
the  line  runs  to  the  west-southwestward  to  the  Hawaiian  Islands. 

TEMPERATURE    OBSERVATIONS    OF    THE    ALBATROSS. 

In  1891-2  two  surveys  were  made  by  the  U.  S.  S.  Albatross, 
between  Monterey  Bay  and  Honolulu — the  one  on  a  great  circle, 
the  other  on  a  rhumb  line.  On  the  great  circle  line,  the  surface 
temperatures  for  the  first  150  miles  vary  from  54°  to  56°.  It 
then  rises  to  59°,  drops  to  57°,  and  rises  to  62°.  After  that  it 
rises  slowly  as  the  line  runs  toward  the  tropics.  The  observa- 
tions on  the  Monterey  end  of  the  survey  were  made  in  October, 
1891.  On  the  rhumb  line  in  January,  1892,  the  temperature 
off  Monterey  Bay  was  52°,  rising  to  59°  in  140  miles.  Even 
with  a  liberal  allowance  for  the  southing  made  on  these  lines, 
the  surface  temperatures  near  shore  are  distinctly  lower  than 
further  to  the  westward. 


270  University  of  California  Publications.          [GEOLOGY 

The  vertical  distribution  of  temperature  ( on  these  two  lines 
is  shown  on  the  isobathymetrical  charts  accompanying  the  re- 
port of  the  survey.*  In  both  cases'  the  isobathytherms  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  ocean  rise  on  approaching  the  California 
Coast.  They  indicate  that  water  near  the  surface  close  inshore 
is  as  cold  as  that  1,000  to  2,000  feet  below  the  surface  200  to  400 
miles  off  shore. 

From  1888  to  1900  the  Albatross  made  several  series  of 
hydrographic  soundings  along  the  Pacific  Coast.  A  line  run  in 
September,  1888,  off  Cape  Flattery  falls  between  the  first  two 
lines  in  the  table  of  Tuscarora  soundings.  The  stations  are 
close  together  and  the  temperature  rises  from  52°  to  61°  in  run- 
ning off  shore  about  50  miles  and  in  the  next  30  miles  falls,  but 
only  to  59°.  The  inshore  cold  belt  is  well  marked,  for  the 
temperature  remains  at  52°  for  the  first  20  miles.  Southward 
from  Cape  Flattery  to  Cape  Mendocino  the  series  of  surface 
temperatures  is  quite  complete  but  they  are  usually  confined  to  a 
coast  belt  of  less  than  30  miles  in  width.  They  are  also  scat- 
tered through  various  months  in  the  term  of  12  years.  For 
comparison  with  the  Tuscarora  observations,  temperatures  taken 
during  the  autumn  months  have  been  used.  The  general  result 
has  been  to  confirm  fully  the  conclusion  that  a  belt  of  cold  sur- 
face water  exists  near  shore.  Of  equal  interest  is  the  fact  that 
the  temperatures  show  narrow  belts  of  warm  and  of  cold  water 
lying  close  together  and  frequently  occurring  in  the  area  cov- 
ered in  one  day's  observations.  Usually  these  narrow  belts  are 
at  right  angles  to  the  coast.  This  peculiar  arrangement  of  the 
minor  temperature  belts  seems  to  negative  definitely  the  idea 
that  the  cold  coast  water  is  due  to  an  inshore  Arctic  current,  for 
such  a  current  would  give  a  stream  of  moderately  uniform 
surface  temperature  and  the  variations  that  did  occur  would 
naturally  extend  in  belts  or  lanes  having  the  same  longitudinal 
direction  as  the  main  stream. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  results  obtained  in  charting  these 
temperatures,  a  section  of  the  coast  extending  about  150  miles 
northwest  from  Cape  Blanco  is  shown  in  PL  31.  Close  inshore 

*  Senate  Ex.  Doc.  No.  153,  52nd  Cong.,  1st  Ses. 


BULL    DEPT,   GEOL.    UNIV,   CAL. 


VOL.   4,    PL.   31 


Surface  temperatures  along  a  portion  of  the  Oregon  Coast  for  August 
or  September.  The  100-fathom  line  and  an  occasional  deep-water  sounding 
indicate  approximately  the  ocean  depths.  The  dotted  lines  connect  tempera- 
ture observations  made  on  the  same  day. 


VOL.  4]  Holway.—Cold  Water  Belt.  271 

the  temperatures  ran  from  47°  to  52°  in  the  vicinity  of  Coos 
Bay  from  September  10  to  12/1889,  while  on  the  llth  a  little 
further  off  shore  there  is  a  short  line  running  from  57°  to  59°. 
Notice  also  that  on  the  same  day  within  10  miles  on  the  north 
and  on  the  south,  there  are  lines  with  temperatures  varying 
from  50°  to  54° ;  that  is,  of  the  three  short  lines  at  right  angles 
to  the  coast  just  south  of  Coos  Bay,  the  middle  line  averages 
about  6°  warmer  than  the  other  lines.  Over  the  Heceta  Bank, 
it  will  be  noticed  that  temperatures  of  from  60°  to  63°  occur, 
while  close  inshore  a  temperature  of  49°  occurs  only  ten  days 
later.  The  ten  days'  difference  in  time  can  cause  no  appre- 
ciable seasonal  change  in  temperature  and  the  variation  from 
63°  to  49°  very  probably  was  true  for  the  same  day.  The  lines 
of  temperature  for  August  30  and  31  are  typical  in  showing  the 
colder  water  inshore,  the  exceptions  to  this  rule  being  few  and 
with  slight  differences  in  temperature.  No  exception  has  been 
found  with  east  or  west  lines  of  50  to  200  miles  in  length  and 
which  run  close  inshore. 

INSHORE  BELT  OF  COLD  WATER. 

This  general  idea  of  a  cold  inshore  belt  has  long  been  recog- 
nized. Richter*  discussed  the  Tuscarora  temperatures  and 
called  attention  to  the  belt  of  cold  coast  water  which  they  indi- 
cate. Apparently  without  other  observations  he  accounted  for 
the  presence  of  this  cold  water  by  assuming  the  existence  of  a 
cold  surface  current  from  the  Arctic.  Part  of  Richter 's  argu- 
ment is  based  on  the  strange  error  that  "the  western  coast,  of 
the  United  States  trends  northeastward  from  Cape  Mendocino 
to  Tatoosh  Island, ' '  when  in  fact  Tatoosh  Island  is  slightly  west 
of  north  from  Cape  Mendocino.  As  already  stated,  a  study  of 
the  temperature  relations  found  in  PL  31  renders  highly  im- 
probable this  idea  of  a  cold  polar  surface  current.  Before  dis- 
cussing the  hypothesis  advanced  in  the  present  paper  to  account 
for  the  cold  inshore  belt,  the  temperatures  for  greater  areas  of 
the  North  Pacific  should  be  examined.  The  temperature  charts 

*  Eichter,  C.  M.  Ocean  Currents  Contiguous  to  the  Coast  of  California. 
Bull.  Cal.  Acad.  Sei.,  vol.  2,  p.  337. 


272  University  of  California  Publications.          [GEOLOGY 

for  the  entire  west  coast  give  a  mass  of  detail  which  can  be 
studied  best  by  expressing  the  figures  for  a  limited  period  by 
isothermal  lines.  In  PL  32  is  given- the  general  result  for  the 
month  of  August. 

A  salient  feature  of  this  chart  is  the  area  indicating  warmer 
water  to  the  north  of  the  inshore  belt  of  cold  water  as  well  as 
to  the  west  and  south.  The  fact  of  the  presence  of  this  warmer 
water  in  addition  to  the  minor  belts  of  varying  temperature 
already  shown  in  PL  31  seems  to  exclude  entirely  the  hypothesis 
of  a  cold,  polar  surface  current  along  the  west  coast  of  North 
America.  The  only  remaining  explanation  is  that  there  exists 
a  belt  of  cold  water  upwelling  from  the  adjacent  ocean  depths. 
Possible  reasons  for  this  upwelling  will  be  discussed  later.  A 
prior  consideration  is  the  general  trustworthiness  and  the  de- 
gree of  accuracy  of  the  isotherm  in  PL  32.  The  writer  feels  con- 
fident that  the  location  of  the  coldest  part  of  the  inshore  belt  in 
the  vicinity  of  Cape  Blanco  and  Cape  Mendocino  and  the  exist- 
ence of  warmer  water  to  the  northward  are  fully  established. 
The  exact  position  of  the  isotherms  is  open  to  doubt  but  it  is  not 
believed  that  the  error  is  sufficient  to  affect  the  general  relations 
which  can  be  shown  on  a  map  of  the  scale  used  in  PI.  32.  More- 
over the  problems  and  conclusions  of  the  paper  will  not  be 
changed  by  a  future  shifting  of  the  boundaries  of  the  tempera- 
ture zones  here  represented. 

The  essential  differences  between  the  chart  here  presented 
and  previous  isothermal  charts  of  the  North  Pacific  for  the 
month  of  August  will  now  be  examined.  The  charts  to  be  cited 
show  little  if  any  variation  in  the  location  of  the  isotherms  in 
mid-ocean,  but  differ  widely  in  the  vicinity  of  the  American 
Coast.  Marakoff  in  his  work  already  quoted  makes  the  isotherm 
of  18°  C.  turn  abruptly  to  the  southward  at  about  latitude  45° 
and  again  bend  to  meet  the  coast  in  about  latitude  36°.  He  thus 
represents  the  cold  belt  along  the  coast  as  merely  an  extension 
of  the  cold  zone  of  the  extreme  North  Pacific.  The  British 
\dmiralty  charts  (1886)  show  the  isotherm  of  60C  as  almost 
touching  the  coast  near  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  River  and 
then  as  swinging  out  and  southward,  finally  meeting  the  coast 


BULL.    DEPT.   GEOL,    UNIV.   CAL, 


VOL,  4,    PL.   32 


Isothermal  chart  of  the  eastern  portion  of  the  North  Pacific  for  the 
month  of  August.  Lines  represent  approximate  mean  temperatures  for  the 
month. 


OF  THE 

DIVERSITY 

OF 


VOL.  4]  Holway.—Cold  Water  Belt.  273 

somewhat  north  of  Point  Conception.  In  other  words,  accord- 
ing to  this  chart,  the  belt  of  cold  coast  water  along  California 
and  Oregon  has  a  very  narrow  connection  with  the  cold  water 
of  the  extreme  North  Pacific. 

The  temperatures  for  the  cold  belt  are  not  so  low  as  those 
reported  by  the  Albatross,  but  the  latter  were  doubtless  taken 
much  closer  inshore  than  those  used  by  the  British  Admiralty. 
The  locality  shown  in  PL  31  just  north  of  Cape  Blanco  is  marked 
on  the  British  Charts  as  having  a  variation  exceeding  10°  during 
the  month  of  August.  This  agrees  with  the  belts  of  varying 
temperature  found  by  the  Albatross  in  that  vicinity  and  is  prob- 
ably due  to  alternate  bands  of  the  surface  water  proper  and 
of  upwelling  cold  water  from  the  ocean  depths. 

The  isotherms  of  the  Deutsche  Seewarte  chart  are  repro- 
duced in  PI.  33.  They  show  similar  general  relations  to  those 
indicated  in  PL  32,  but  differ  in  making  the  cold  inshore  belt 
much  shorter  and  in  locating  the  coldest  part  of  the  belt  at  two 
widely  separated  places — San  Francisco  Bay  and  the  Straits  of 
Fuca,  the  lowest  temperature  being  shown  by  the  isotherm  of 
14°  C.  (57°  F.).  The  latest  data  available  do  not  greatly  change 
the  average  temperatures  for  these  points  as  marked  on  the 
German  charts.  Davidson*  gives  the  monthly  averages  in  the 
Golden  Gate  for  12  years  of  daily  observations.  The  August 
mean  for  this  period  is  59.2°,  with  57°  the  lowest  average  for 
any  one  year.  Lower  temperatures  are  reported  just  outside 
the  bar. 

The  corrections  to  be  made  in  PL  33,  according  to  the  recent 
Albatross  observations,  do  not  consist  in  a  revision  of  the  tem- 
peratures given  for  the  cold  water  areas  so  much  as  in  the  locat- 
ing of  much  colder  areas  near  Cape  Blanco  and  in  more  than 
doubling  the  entire  length  of  the  belt  of  cold  coast  water.  The 
occurrence  of  the  coldest  water  in  the  vicinity  of  Cape  Mendocino 
and  Cape  Blanco  has  an  important  bearing  on  the  theory  to  be 
offered  to  account  for  the  belt  of  cold  water  along  this  coast. 


*  Davidson,  Geo.     Bull.  Calif.  Acad.  Sci.,  Vol.  I,  p.  354. 


274  University  of  California  Publications.          [GEOLOGY 

TWO  PROBLEMS  PRESENTED. 

The  temperature  relations  of  the  surface  water  of  the  North 
Pacific  represented  in  PL  32  present  two  problems  for  solution. 
First,  what  is  the  cause  of  the  belt  of  cold  water  along  the  west- 
ern coast  of  the  United  States?  We  have  already  seen  that  it 
must  be  due  to  an  up  welling  of  cold  water  from  the  adjacent 
ocean  depths,  but  what  are  the  causes  which  produce  this  up- 
welling?  And  secondly,  why  should  the  coldest  part  of  this  area 
be  in  the  vicinity  of  Cape  Blanco  and  Mendocino,  instead  of 
farther  to  the  northward?  Before  attempting  to  answer  these 
problems,  a  brief  review  will  be  made  of  the  discussions  of  cold 
water  in  other  portions  of  the  world  and  also  of  the  general  tem- 
perature relations  of  the  North  Pacific. 

COLD  WATER  ALONG  OTHER  COASTS. 

In  PI.  34  A  is  shown  the  belts  of  cold  coast  water  as  mapped 
by  Andrees.*  Berghausf  gives  practically  the  same  areas  omit- 
ting the  southeast  coast  of  Arabia.  Both  authors  make  the  belt 
extend  along  the  entire  Pacific  coast  of  the  United  States  and 
of  Lower  California.  Neither  of  them  attempts  any  differentia- 
tion of  the  cold  water  area  into  belts  or  sections  of  different  tem- 
perature. In  the  handbook  accompanying  Andrees 'i  Atlas,  these 
areas  of  cold  water  are  attributed  to  a  vertical  current  caused 
by  winds  blowing  off  shore  and  dividing  the  surface  water  to 
the  leeward.  The  supposition  is  that  the  accumulation  of  water 
to  leeward  would  cause  a  return  drift  at  the  bottom  of  the  ocean 
and  an  upwelling  near  the  shore. 

A  discussion  and  indorsement  of  this  idea  is  given  by  Murray  § 
as  a  preface  to  his  study  of  the  effect  of  winds  on  the  lochs  of 
Scotland.  With  such  small  bodies  of  water  as  the  lochs,  the 
entire  surface  is  under  the  influence  of  wind  blowing  in  the 
same  direction  and  return  surface  currents  are  not  possible. 
With  the  ocean  partial  compensation  may  be  made  in  other  ways. 

*  Andrees.    Allgemeiner  Hand  Atlas,  1900. 
fBerghaus.     Atlas  der  Hydrographie,  1891. 
J  Geographisches  Handbuch  zu  Andrees  Handatlas,  1899. 
§  Murray,  Sir  John.     Effects  of  Winds  on  Distribution  of  Temperature, 
etc.     Scot.  Geog.  Mag.,  1898,  p.  345. 


BULL.    DEPT.   GEOL.    UNIV.   CAL 


VOL.   4,    PL.   34 


A.     Belts  of  cold  coast  water  according  to  Andrees.     Compare  the  West 
Coast  of  North  America  as  given  here  with  the  same  region  in  PI.  36. 


B.     Maximum  Surface  Temperatures,  after  Sir  John  Murray. 


VOL.  4]  Holway.—Cold  Water  Belt.  275 

Harm*  accepts  the  theory  that  the  rise  of  cold  water  along  the 
coast  is  caused  by  the  "suction  effect"  of  winds  blowing  off 
shore.  In  his  general  discussion  he  incidentally  remarks  "that 
the  sharp  deflection  of  an  ocean  current  off  shore  may  cause  a 
rise  of  cold  water  from  below."  He  does  not  apply  the  latter 
ideas  to  any  of  the  areas  which  he  discusses,  which  are  substan- 
tially those  mapped  by  Andrees.  The  whole  California  coast  is 
mentioned  among  others  as  if  it  belonged  in  the  area  of  constant 
trade  winds. 

Buchananf  discusses  this  subject  and  gives  some  data  for  our 
coast.  During  his  voyage  from  Valparaiso  to  San  Francisco 
in  1885  he  stopped  at  Mazatlan.  He  states  that  on  getting  under 
way  from  that  port  the  surface  temperature  was  75.8°  and  "the 
cold  water  must  have  been  close  to  the  surface,  for  water  taken 
from  the  wash  when  the  steamer  was  going  astern  had  a  temper- 
ature of  72.8°."  Thence  across  the  Gulf  of  California  the  tem- 
perature was  78°  and  the  water  a  deep  blue  color.  Approaching 
Cape  San  Lucas  the  temperature  of  the  water  fell  to  73.4°  and 
then  to  64.4°  close  inshore.  After  passing  the  Cape  the  temper- 
ature rose  to  66.8°  as  the  shore  was  left.  Thence  northward  to 
San  Francisco  the  water  grew  colder,  falling  to  50°  degrees  at 
the  entrance  to  the  bay.  The  low  temperature  found  in  passing 
Cape  San  Lucas  is  the  most  important  part  of  this  account.  The 
cold  water  he  found  on  the  further  trip  to  San  Francisco  being 
on  a  single  line  parallel  to  the  coast  furnishes  little  basis  for  dis- 
cussion. Mr.  Buchanan  offers  the  following  comment :  ' '  The 
occurrence  of  these  coast  areas  of  abnormally  cold  water  is  ex- 
plained when  we  recognize  that  they  are  the  windward  shores  of 
the  oceans.  The  trade  winds  blow  from  them  toward  the  equator 
and  in  so  doing  mechanically  remove  water,  which  has  to  be 
supplied  from  the  readiest  source.  This  source  is  the  deep  water 
lying  off  the  continental  coast  which  is  supplied  by  the  gradual 
drift  of  water  from  high  latitudes.  Hence,  though  the  low  tem- 
perature of  the  coast  water  is  referred  to  as  due  to  the  cold  of 
high  latitudes,  it  is  not  supplied  by  a  long  surface  current,  but 

*  Hann,  Julius.     Handbook  of  Climatology,  1903. 

t  Buchanan,  J.  Y.  Similarities  in  the  Physical  Geography  of  the  Great 
Oceans.  Pro.  Boy.  Geog.  Soc.,  1886,  p.  753. 


276 


University  of  California  Publications.          [GEOLOGY 


a  short  vertical  one. ' '  The  limits  of  the  trade  wind  belt  off  the 
California  coast  will  be  discussed  later,  but  it  is  needless  to  re- 
mark that  these  limits  never  reach  'as  far  north  as  Cape  Blanco. 
Mr.  Buchanan,  it  should  be  noted,  does  not  discuss  the  conditions 
on  the  coast  north  of  San  Francisco. 

Possibly  the  most  interesting  instance  of  cold  water  rising 
from  ocean  depths  is  found  on  the  Somali  Coast  of  Africa  just 
south  of  Cape  Guardafui.  Captain  Hoffmann's  account  of  the 
voyage  of  the  Mowe  is  becoming  classic  in  these  discussions.  The 
course  of  the  Mowe  was  northward  from  Zanzibar  along  the  coast 
of  Africa  to  the  Gulf  of  Aden.  The  table  of  temperatures  here- 
with is  taken  directly  from  Captain  Hoffmann's  account,  chang- 
ing the  temperatures  to  Fahrenheit  to  agree  wdth  the  use  in  this 

OBSERVATIONS  OP  CAPTAIN  HOFFMANN 
FROM  "REISE   S.  M.  KR.  MOWE  VON   ZANZIBAR  NACH  ADEN"* 


Latitude 

Longitude 

Date 

Hr. 

Temp. 
Water 

Latitude 

Longitude 

Date 

Hr. 
12 

Temperature 
Water 

1886 
June  28 

12 

79?2 

4b  41'  N 

48°  14'  E 

JulyS 

68?0 

"     28 

12 

75.2 

"     3 

4 

65.6 

4°  42'   S 

39°   36'    E 

"     29 

12 

77.7 

".     3 

8 

64.8 

"     29 

12 

77.0 

7  10  ;N 

49    33   E 

"     4 

12 

69.8 

1    58     S 

41     25     E 

"     30 

12 

79.5 

"    4 

4 

68.4 

"     30 

12 

77.4 

"     4 

8 

64.2 

1    15    N 

43     15     E 

July    1 

12 

80.4 

"    4 

12 

66.6 

"       1 

12 

78.1 

"    4 

4 

66.9 

2    35    N 

46     24     E 

"       2 

12 

78.8 

»    4 

8 

66.2 

"       2 

12 

74.8 

9   30   N 

51    21   E 

"     5 

12 

68.0 

4    41    N 

48     14     E 

"       3 

12 

77.4 

"     5 

12 

73.9 

"       3 

4 

71.2 

"     5 

8 

6.  Guardafui 

"       3 

8 

68.0 

11   56   N 

51   05   E 

"     6 

12 

90.3 

:Ann.  der  Hydrogr.,  1888.  p.  345. 


VOL.  4]  Holway.—Cold  Water  Belt.  277 

paper.  The  marked  fall  in  temperature  on  July  3  and  4  was 
accompanied  by  a  fall  in  the  temperature  of  the  air  and  by  a 
change  in  the  color  of  the  water  from  blue  to  a  deep  olive  green. 
As  in  this  locality  a  cold  polar  current  is  an  impossibility,  unless 
it  persists  directly  across  the  equatorial  region,  we  are  forced 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  cold  water  rises  from  the  ocean  depths. 
Captain  Hoffmann  reports  a  strong  north  flowing  current  that 
makes  a  bend  to  seaward  at  this  point  where  the  fall  in  temper- 
ature occurs.  He  states  that  the.  fall  in  temperature  seems  to 
be  related  to  the  change  in  the  direction  of  the  current.  Bu- 
chanan attributes  the  cold  water  in  this  instance  to  the  southwest 
monsoon  blowing  off  shore.  Hann  and  Andrees  do  the  same  and 
state  that  the  cold  water  disappears  with  the  coming  of  the  north- 
east monsoon. 

The  authorities  quoted,  with  the  exception  of  Captain  Hoff- 
mann, seem  to  be  in  general  agreement  in  accepting  winds  blowing 
off  shore  as  a  sufficient  explanation  of  cold  coast  water  in  these 
areas.  On  our  coast  from  San  Francisco  to  Cape  Flattery,  the 
prevailing  winds  blow  toward  the  shore,  as  shown  in  the  Pilot 
Charts.  During  the  passage  of  an  extratropical  cyclone, — the 
"low"  of  the  weather  map — the  winds  may  be  temporarily  re- 
versed. As  to  trade  winds  on  the  California  coast,  the  Pilot 
Charts  for  1903  show  that  the  most  northerly  extension  of  the 
trades — occurring  in  August — was  to  Lat.  37°  30'.  This  was 
only  in  mid-ocean  nearly  1,000  miles  to  the  westward  of  San 
Francisco.  Nearer  the  coast  the  northern  limit  of  the  trades  is 
further  to  the  south.  At  all  seasons  of  the  year  the  Pilot  Charts 
show  a  belt  of  northwest  winds  between  the  Southern  California 
Coast  and  the  trade  winds.  Along  Southern  California  where 
the  trades  blowing  off  shore  are  the  nearest  to  the  coast  is  the 
very  locality  that  fails  to  show  a  definite  belt  of  cold  coast  water. 

GENERAL  TEMPERATURE  CONDITIONS  OF  THE  NORTH  PACIFIC. 

For  a  brief  summary  of  the  temperature  conditions  of  the 
North  Pacific  we  may  take  a  recent  article  by  that  eminent 
authority,  Sir  John  Murray.*  The  charts  which  he  gives  afford 

*  Murray,  Sir  John.  On.  the  Temperature  of  the  Floor  of  the  Ocean,  etc. 
Oeog.  Jour.  1899,  XIV,  p.  34. 


278  University  of  California  Publications.          [GEOLOGY 

a  summary  of  a  vast  amount  of  observational  detail  bearing  on 
the  general  problems  of  his  paper.  The  charts  showing  maxi- 
mum and  minimum  surface  temperatures  will  first  be  examined. 
These  were  prepared  by  laying  off  on  2°  squares  all  the  recorded 
observations  of  surface  temperatures.  The  tables  of  Admiral 
Makaroff  give  38,874  observations  for  the  North  Pacific.  Murray 
has  supplemented  these  by  the  reports  of  the  British  Admiralty 
Office  and  from  other  sources.  The  maximum  and  minimum 
temperatures  are  taken  for  the  months  of  August  and  February 
respectively.  Nearly  25%  of  the  2°  squares  in  the  North  Pacific 
have  no  recorded  observations.  This  lack  should  be  borne  in 
mind,  but  as  nearly  half  of  these  omissions  are  in  the  Torrid 
Zone,  it  is  not  likely  that  the  mapping  of  maximum  or  August 
temperatures  in  the  broad  belt  of  these  charts  has  been  seriously 
affected. 

Maximum  Surface  Temperatures. — PL  34  B  shows  the  results 
for  the  North  Pacific,  the  temperature  zones  indicating  difference 
of  10°  F.  So  far  as  the  problems  of  this  paper  are  concerned,  the 
most  marked  departure  from  east  and  west  boundaries  to  these 
zones  is  found  in  the  belt  of  60°-70°.  This  shows  a  notable  ex- 
tension southward  along  the  coast  of  the  United  States  and  re- 
veals the  belt  of  cold  coast  water,  confirming  the  existence  of  a 
southward  flowing  drift  off  the  coast,  as  shown  on  the  Pilot 
Charts.  The  torrid  belt  of  80°-90°  makes  a  northward  extension 
along  the  coast  of  Lower  California.  This  again  confirms  the 
Pilot  Chart  which  shows  a  northwestward  flowing  current  off 
the  Mexican  coast. 

Minimum  Surface  Temperatures. — PL  35  A  is  the  chart  for 
minimum  surface  temperatures  in  the  North  Pacific.  Here  again 
is  the  southward  extension  of  the  cold  belt  along  the  western  coast 
of  North  America.  An  interesting  fact  here  is  the  bend  to  the 
southward  along  the  120th  meridian  showing  that  the  currents 
from  the  north  leave  the  shores  of  America  turning  to  the  west- 
ward. 

Range  of  Surface  Temperatures. — PL  35  B  is  from  another 
chart  by  Murray  from  the  same  data.*  The  annual  range  of  tem- 

*  Murray,  Sir  John.  Annual  Eange  of  Temperature,  etc.  Geog.  Jour. 
1898,  Vol.  XII,  p.  113. 


BULL    DEPT.   GEOL.    UNIV.   CAL 


VOL.   4,    PL.   35 


A.     Minimum  Surface  Temperatures,  after  Sir  John  Murray. 


B.     Annual  Kange  of  Surface  Temperatures,  after  Sir  John  Murray. 


o 


a  b» 


GSO 

|.b 
*j 


a 
• 

A 


VOL.  4]  Holway.—Cold  Water  Belt.  279 

perature  is  here  shown.  The  great  torrid  belt  with  an  annual 
range  of  10°  or  less  shows  a  northward  pointing  extension  off 
Lower  California  similar  to  that  on  the  map  of  maximum  temper- 
atures and  to  be  accounted  for  in  the  same  way.  An  interesting 
minor  point,  bearing  on  the  accuracy  of  the  map,  is  shown  by 
the  small  area  around  the  southern  part  of  Lower  California, 
which  is  charted  as  having  an  annual  range  of  20°.  This  in- 
cludes the  locality  where  Buchanan  reports  cold  water  due  to 
upwelling.  It  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  Pilot  Charts  that 
while  the  main  current  from  the  southeast  is  constant  during 
the  year,  the  inshore  current  varies  with  the  seasons,  sometimes 
being  from  the  north  and  sometimes  from  the  south.  This  varia- 
tion indicates  of  course  a  great  annual  range  of  temperature. 
This  mutual  confirmation  of  the  two  maps  in  this  small  area  is 
worth  noting  as  a  correlation  to  the  warning  given  by  the  authors 
as  to  the  insufficient  data  upon  which  their  work  rests. 

Another  variation  in  PI.  35  B  is  the  southward  extension  of 
the  belts  of  an  annual  range  of  from  10°  to  15°.  This  occurs  at 
about  120°  West  Longitude  and  extends  to  Latitude  10°.  This 
is  probably  accounted  for  by  a  variation  in  the  strength  of  the 
south  flowing  California  current  and  of  the  northwest  flowing 
current  off  Mexico.  This  variation  is  somewhat  indefinitely 
shown  on  the  Pilot  Charts  by  a  change  in  the  extension  of  these 
currents  during  the  spring  and  the  autumn  seasons. 

Temperature  of  Ocean  Bottom. — PI.  36  is  a  reproduction  of 
the  Deutsche  Seewarte  chart  showing  ocean  depths  in  the  North 
Pacific.  The  principal  areas  which  according  to  Murray  have  a 
bottom  temperature  of  under  35°  are  indicated  by  oblique  pa- 
rallel lines. 

The  contours  on  this  chart  are  in  meters;  the  first  line  indi- 
cating 200  m.  and  the  others  the  successive  even  thousands.  In 
the  region  to  the  eastward  of  Kamchatka  these  contours  must 
be  modified  to  agree  with  recent  soundings  of  the  Albatross.  A 
sounding  of  5,700  M.  (3,117  Fm.)  was  obtained  in  Lat.  54°-51', 
Long.  163°-46'  E  and  other  soundings  indicate  that  a  channel  of 
about  3,000  M.  (1,640  Fm.)  leads  from  the  Pacific  into  Bering 
Sea.  A  dotted  line  shows  the  possible  location  of  the  3,000  M. 


280  University  of  California  Publications.          [GEOLOGY 

contour  according  to  these  late  soundings.  The  distribution 
of  these  areas  of  cold  water  on  the  ocean  bottom  is  closely 
related  to  the  question  of  the-  source  of  the  cold  water 
along  the  west  coast  of  the  United  States.  Of  primary  in- 
terest is  the  larger  area  extending  from  near  Alaska  south- 
ward far  beyond  Point  Conception.  The  part  of  this  mass 
of  cold  water  lying  north  of  Lat.  50°  is  bounded  on  the 
north  and  east  by  the  contour  line  of  2,000  fathoms  (nearly 
4,000  M. ) .  The  western  extension  of  this  mass  of  cold  and  pre- 
sumably heavy  water  lies  just  on  the  edge  or  slope  of  a  sub- 
marine valley  that  runs  down  to  a  depth  of  more  than  3,000 
fathoms  (6,000  M.).  If  the  distribution  of  cold  water  in  the 
ocean  depths  depends  on  convection  as  is  frequently  claimed, 
why  does  not  the  cold  water  settle  into  this  deep  valley?  This 
might  be  answered  by  supposing  greater  density  for  the  water 
in  the  greater  depths.  A  discussion  of  the  varying  salinity  on 
the  bottom  of  the  ocean  in  this  region  is  at  present  impossible 
from  lack  of  accurate  data.  The  uniform  upper  level  of  this 
mass  of  cold  bottom  water  is  an  interesting  point  when  the  North 
Pacific  Pilot  Charts  of  this  region  are  examined.  In  this  great 
bight  of  the  Alaskan  coast  there  is  represented  an  ocean  eddy 
turning  contraclockwise  for  three-fourths  of  the  year  and  being 
reversed  in  direction  during  the  winter  months.  Is  it  possible 
that  this  eddy  maintains  a  mass  of  cold  water  at  the  bottom  at 
a  constant  level?  The  idea  of  a  casual  relation  here  is  so  seduc- 
tive that  the  writer  feels  compelled,  in  fairness,  to  quote  a  para- 
graph from  the  Pilot  Chart: — "After  a  careful  consideration 
of  the  reports  of  vessels  cruising  near  the  Aleutian  Islands  and 
in  the  Bering  Sea,  the  Hydrographic  Office  warns  mariners 
against  placing  too  much  reliance  upon  current  predictions  in 
that  portion  of  the  North  Pacific."  The  warning  is  probably 
intended  to  apply  to  regions  farther  to  the  westward,  but  should 
be  considered  for  this  region  as  well.  In  connection  with  the 
question  of  the  existence  of  this  Alaska  eddy,  it  is  to  be  remarked 
that  the  isotherm  of  55°  bends  to  westward  just  south  of  Alaska 
in  a  way  to  confirm  the  existence  of  such  an  eddy.  (See  PI.  32.) 
Setting  aside  theories  and  keeping  in  mind  the  thought  of  the 


VOL.  4]  Holway.—Cold  Water  Belt.  281 

level  upper  limit  of  the  cold  bottom  water  as  mapped  by  Murray 
for  the  region  south  of  Alaska,  let  us  examine  its  great  southward 
extension. 

From  off  Vancouver  Island  to  San  Francisco  it  has  risen 
above  the  2,000  Fm.  (4,000  M.)  contour  and  lies  upon  the  conti- 
nental slope  of  the  ocean  bottom — again  in  defiance  of  gravity 
unless  there  is  postulated  a  peculiar  arrangement  of  salinity  in 
the  lower  depths. 

HYPOTHESIS  ACCOUNTING  FOR   COLD  WATER  BELT. 

To  explain  this  apparently  abnormal  position  of  the  cold 
water,  let  us  suppose,  as  a  working  hypothesis,  that  the  direction 
of  ocean  drift  in  the  northeastern  parts  of  the  North  Pacific  is 
not  merely  true  for  the  surface,  but  that  it  holds  throughout 
the  entire  extent  as  far  as  the  ocean  bottom.  In  winter  the  cold 
surface  water  to  the  south  of  the  Aleutian  Islands  would  sink 
and  at  the  same  time  be  carried  slowly  toward  the  eastward. 
It  would  thus  be  carried  over  the  western  portion  of  the  Maury 
Deep  of  PI.  36  and  would  finally  rest  on  the  continental  slope. 
In  the  Alaska  Bight  it  is  conceivable  that  the  eddy  would  give 
a  constant  upper  level  to  this  mass  of  water.  To  the  southward 
along  the  coast  of  Vancouver  to  San  Francisco,  the  upper  drift 
(except  very  close  inshore)  is  toward  the  east  and  south.  If 
this  drift  extends  to  the  ocean  bottom,  the  cold  bottom  water 
would  be  driven  up  the  continental  slope,  thus  accounting  for 
the  belt  of  cold  coast  water.  Again  it  will  be  remembered  that 
the  coldest  coast  water  was  found  from  the  vicinity  of  Cape 
Blanco  southward  to  Cape  Mendocino.  In  PL  36  the  contours 
of  1,000,  2,000,  and  3,000  meters  make  a  shoreward  bend  slightly 
north  of  this  latitude.  That  is,  a  great  submarine  valley  heads 
just  under  Cape  Blanco  and  opens  broadly  out  to  the  northward 
and  westward.  The  bottom  drift  on  our  working  hypothesis 
would  thus  be  delivered  most  strongly  against  the  coast  in  the 
vicinity  of  Cape  Blanco  and  carried  southward  by  the  general 
drift, 


282  University  of  California  Publications.          [GKOLOGY 

The  effect  of  the  smaller  submarine  valleys  near  the  coast 
has  already  been  discussed  by  Davidson.*  Speaking  of  those 
near  Cape  Mendocino  he  says:  "They  carry  in  the  colder 
waters  coming  from  the  north  and  outside  of  the  influence  of  the 
close  inshore  eddy  current  setting  to  the  northward. ' ' 

The  writer  fully  agrees  with  this  statement,  but  in  the  light 
of  the  additional  data  discussed  in  this  paper,  he  considers  the 
action  of  these  valleys  as  but  part  of  a  general  motion  of  the 
deeper  waters  which  affects  the  entire  coast  from  San  Francisco 
to  Vancouver  Island. 

Another  instance  where  local  temperatures  seem  to  be  influ- 
enced by  submarine  valleys  is  found  on  Cordell  Bank  about  50 
miles  wrest-northwest  from  San  Francisco  and  directly  west  of 
Point  Reyes.  The  100  Fm.  contour  shows  a  valley  opening  to 
the  northward  and  heading  just  east  of  the  Cordell  Bank. 
From  June  12  to  17,  1873,  Davidsonf  reports  the  mean  water 
temperature  at  8  a.m.  as  only  49°.  If  the  cold  bottom  water  in 
the  deeper  ocean  has  any  motion  or  drift,  it  is  not  difficult  to 
recognize  the  fact  that  the  submarine  valley  to  the  northward 
might  lead  it  to  the  surface  in  the  vicinity  of  Cordell  Bank. 

A  second  point  in  favor  of  the  theory  of  great  depth  to  the 
prevailing  drift  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  North  Pacific  is 
found  in  the  shape  of  the  areas  of  cold  bottom  water  and  in 
their  relation  to  the  surface  drift.  The  main  area  on  the  west 
coast  of  North  America  has  a  longitudinal  extension  that  agrees 
with  the  prevailing  surface  drift.  Tracing  this  area  of  cold 
bottom  water  southward  to  Lat.  30°,  it  is  seen  to  bend  to  the 
southwestward  as  do  the  surface  currents.  The  question  also 
arises  as  to  the  reason  for  a  termination  of  the  cold  water  at  this 
locality.  It  is  certainly  not  the  insolation  received  in  the  torrid 
zone,  for  this  penetrates  but  a  short  distance  below  the  surface 
of  the  ocean.  Moreover,  in  the  middle  of  the  North  Pacific  ex- 
tending across  the  equator  into  the  southern  hemisphere  is  one 
of  the  largest  areas  of  water  below  35°  on  the  ocean  bottom.  A 
ready  explanation  for  the  termination  of  the  cold  bottom  water 

*  Davidson,  Geo.     The  Submerged  Valleys  of  the  Coast  of  California, 
etc.     Pro.  Calif.  Acad.  Sci.,  Geol.  Vol.  I,  p.  99. 
t  Davidson,  Geo.   'Pacific  Coast  Pilot,  p.  236. 


VOL-4]  Holway.—Cold  Water  Belt.  283 

off  Lower  California  is  found  in  the  northwest  flowing  warm 
Mexican  current  previously  mentioned.  This  current,  accord- 
ing to  the  charts  of  the  Deutsche  Seewarte,  is  more  saline  and 
hence  will  sink  and  mingle  with  the  colder  water  from  the  north- 
ward. 

Another  interesting  area  of  cold  water  on  the  ocean  bottom 
is  found  off  Japan  in  the  great  Tuscarora  Deep.  The  source  of 
this  cold  water  is  doubtless  the  cold  polar  current  coming  down 
by  Kamchatka.  The  southern  part  of  this  cold  water  area  has 
an  extension  off  to  the  eastward.  It  has  a  direction  that  appears 
to  be  the  resultant  of  a  conflict  between  the  deep  part  of  the 
north-flowing  Japan  stream  and  the  cold  water  of  the  Kamchatka 
current.  Here  again  the  idea  of  great  depth  of  drift  would 
account  for  the  fact  that  we  have  represented  a  stationary  body 
of  cold  water  resting  on  the  sloping  ocean  bottom. 

Of  course,  the  hypothesis  that  these  ocean  currents  and 
drifts  have  a  uniform  direction  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea  needs 
additional  evidence  in  its  support.  Meanwhile  it  offers  a  reason- 
able explanation  of  the  cold  coast  water  on  the  North  American 
shore  and  of  several  peculiarities  of  the  masses  of  very  cold 
water  on  the  bottom  of  the  North  Pacific  with  little  indirect  op- 
position to  the  hypothesis. 

The  presence  of  the  large  area  of  cold  water  on  the  bottom 
of  the  south  central  portion  of  the  North  Pacific  here  challenges 
attention.  Can  it  be  accounted  for  by  the  known  direction  of 
surface  or  bottom  drift?  It  must  have  some  connection  with 
the  cold  water  of  high  latitudes  to  maintain  its  low  temperature 
of  35°  or  under.  There  is  no  evidence  to  connect  it  with  the 
cold  water  off  North  America.  From  its  position  in  equatorial 
regions  it  must  necessarily  be  supplied  by  subsurface  currents. 
There  are  few  charts  showing  temperature  below  the  surface  in 
the  North  Pacific.  Turning  to  one  by  Makaroff*  for  the  level 
400  meters  (218  Fm.)  below  the  surface,  the  isotherms  are  found 
to  make  a  sharp  bend  to  the  southeast  as  may  be  seen  in  PL  37. 
This  indicates  a  southeast  flowing  portion  of  the  cold  Kamchatka 
current  which  has  underrun  the  warm  Japan  stream.  The 

*  Makaroff,  S.     Le  Vitiaz  et  L  'Ocean  Pacifique. 


284  University  of  California  Publications.          [GEOLOG\ 

writer  attempted  to  construct  an  isothermal  chart  for  the  depth 
of  700  Fin.  in  order  to  follow  further  this  cold  undercurrent. 
The  number  of  temperature  observations  for  this  or  greater 
depths  is  few,  and  therefore  not  much  reliance  can  be  placed 
in  the  results.  The  isotherms  as  drawn  for  the  700  Fm.  level 
show  a  narrow  loop  extending  still  farther  to  the  southeast  than 
the  loop  in  PI.  37.  It  would  thus  seem  from  the  evidence  now 
at  hand  that  the  cold  water  at  the  bottom  of  the  south  central 
portion  of  the  North  Pacific  is  accounted  for  by  a  branch  of  the 
Kamchatka  current  underrunning  the  upper  portion  of  the 
warm  Japan  stream  and  slowly  sinking  to  the  bed  of  the  ocean. 

In  the  provisional  isothermal  chart  drawn  for  the  depth  of 
700  Fm.  a  second  narrow  loop  of  the  isotherms,  starting  farther 
to  the  east  of  the  Japan  Islands,  runs  southeast  toward  the 
Hawaiian  Islands.  This  would  account  for  the  presence  of 
water  below  35°  F.  that  occurs  to  the  northward  of  these  islands 
at  the  depth  of  2,500  Fm. 

The  study  of  the  areas  of  cold  water  at  the  bottom  of  the 
central  portion  of  the  North  Pacific  does  not  therefore  in  any 
way  contradict  the  hypothesis  used  for  the  cold  water  belt  along 
the  west  coast  of  the  United  States.  In  the  northwest  due  to 
the  opening  into  Bering  Sea  between  Kamchatka  and  the  Aleu- 
tian Islands,  a  southward  flowing  cold  current  disturbs  the 
otherwise  great  uniform  clockwise  drift  of  the  North  Pacific. 
In  the  north  central  and  northeastern  portions  of  the  ocean 
there  are  no  cold  currents  from  Bering  Sea  to  interrupt  the  ac- 
quirement of  a  uniform  direction  of  drift  to  great  depths. 

The  possibility  of  water  at  a  great  depth  acquiring  a  slow 
movement  or  drift  from  the  action  of  surface  winds  has  been 
frequently  discussed.  A  recent  writer*  thinks  that  the  entire 
body  of  water  occupying  the  equatorial  regions  has  a  westerly 
motion  due  to  the  action  of  the  trade  winds.  In  the  northern 
parts  of  the  Pacific  in  the  region  of  the  prevailing  westerlies, 
contrary  currents  are  frequently  reported  more  or  less  in  har- 
mony with  variations  in  the  winds.  But  as  the  prevailing 
westerlies  have  existed  for  untold  ages,  there  has  been  ample 
*  Page,  James.  National  Geographic  Magazine,  1902,  pp.  135-142. 


e!       Jj 


o 


VOL.  4]  Holway.—Cold  Water  Belt.  285 

• 
time  for  the  development  of  a  slow  but  constant  deep  water 

movement  in  the  direction  of  the  prevailing  wind.  The  north- 
eastern part  of  the  North  Pacific  is  pre-eminently  the  place  for 
the  development  of  a  uniform  drift  from  surface  to  bottom,  as 
may  be  seen  by  studying  the  contours  in  PL  36.  The  contours 
show  a  remarkable  great  ocean  basin  uninterrupted  by  islands 
and  bounded  on  the  north  and  east  by  a  regular  but  steep  con- 
tinental slope.  This  regularity  of  basin  of  the  North  Pacific  is 
more  noticeable  if  for  comparison  we  examine  a  bathymetrical 
chart  of  the  North  Atlantic.  In  the  latter  we  have  the  mid- 
Atlantic  ridge  running  in  a  general  north  and  south  direction 
and  making  two  great  subdivisions  of  the  basin.  We  have  also 
the  wide  openings  on  the  west  and  on  the  east  of  Greenland  and 
connecting  with  the  cold  water  of  the  Arctic  Ocean.  In  the 
Pacific  there  is  but  one  great  opening  into  Bering  Sea  and  that 
sea  is  connected  with  the  Arctic  by  Bering  Strait,  which  is  both 
narrow  and  shallow.  Considering  then  its  practical  lack  of 
connection  with  the  Arctic  Ocean  and  its  uninterrupted  basin 
and  relatively  regular  shores,  it  is  a  reasonable  supposition  that 
the  northern  half  of  the  North  Pacific  has  a  more  regular  system 
of  oceanic  circulation  than  has  the  North  Atlantic. 


SUMMARY. 

Several  interesting  points  for  future  investigation  are  sug- 
gested by  the  observations  and  theories  discussed  in  this  paper. 
From  the  biological  standpoint  it  will  be  interesting  to  find 
whether  the  cold  water  and  the  variations  in  temperature  near 
Cape  Blanco  are  a  barrier  to  species  that  might  normally  ex- 
pand into  the  regions  lying  to  the  northward.  The  investiga- 
tion of  the  area  lying  to  the  southwest  of  the  coast  from  Point 
Conception  to  San  Diego,  now  being  carried  on  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Professor  William  E.  Hitter  of  the  University  of  Cali- 
fornia, should  in  the  next  few  years  give  us  more  accurate  in- 
formation concerning  the  disputed  temperature  relations  of  this 
portion  of  the  Pacific  as  well  as  a  better  knowledge  of  the  marine 
life  of  the  region  and  the  temperature  limitations  of  this  life. 


286  University  of  California  Publications.          [GEOLOGY 

The  question  of  the  accuracy  of  the  charts  herewith  pre- 
sented demands  that  the  various  gaps  in  the  series  of  coast  tem- 
peratures be  filled  by  reliable  observations.  If  the  theory  of 
this  paper  as  to  the  final  source  of  cold  water  lying  along  the 
west  coast  be  correct,  serial  temperatures  in  the  region  from  50° 
to  55°  N.  Lat.  and  about  160°  W.  Long,  should  show,  at  certain 
seasons  of  the  year,  inversions  of  temperature,  that  is,  a  stratum 
of  cold  water  should  be  found  in  intermediate  depths  overlying 
warmer  water  on  the  ocean  bottom. 

In  conclusion  the  following  summary  of  observations  and 
hypotheses  in  reference  to  the  belt  of  relatively  cold  water  lying 
along  the  west  coast  of  the  United  States  is  presented : 

(1)  Recent  observations  indicate  that  the  previous  mapping 
of  this  cold  belt  as  extending  southward  to  the  coast  of  Lower 
California  is  incorrect.     The  definite  belt  of  cold  water  can  not 
be  traced  south  of  Point  Conception. 

(2)  In  summer  the  coldest  part  of  this  belt  is  in  the  vicinity 
of  Cape  Blanco  and  Cape  Mendocino. 

(3)  The  source  of  this  cold  coast  water  is  in  the  ocean  depths 
to  the  northwestward. 

(4)  This  cold  water  at  or  near  the  ocean  bottom  has  a  slow 
drift  agreeing  in  direction  with  the  average  direction  of  the 
surface  drift  and  is  driven  to  the  surface  on  striking  the  slope 
of  the  continental  shelf.     Local  variations  in  the  cold  coast  water 
are  due  to  the  submarine  valleys  and  other  irregularities  in  the 
slope  of  the  continental  shelf. 


University  of  California, 
September,  190~>. 


VOLUME  4. 

PRICE 

1.  The  Geology  of  the  Upper  Region  of  the  Main  Walker  River,  Nevada,  by  Dwight  T.  Smith  30c 

2.  A  Primitive  Ichthyosaurian  Limb  from  the  Middle  Triassic  of  Nevada,  by  John  C.  Merriam  lOe 

3.  Geological  Section  of  the  Coast  Ranges  North  of  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  by  V.  C.  Osmont  40c 

4.  Areas  of  the  California  Neocene,  by  Vance  C.  Osmont        .......  15c 

5.  Contribution  to  the  Palaeontology  of  the  Martinez  Group,  by   Charles  E.  Weaver        .          .  20c 

6.  New  or  Imperfectly  Known  Rodents  and  Ungulates  from  the  John  Day  Series,  by  William 

J.   Sinclair          .............. 

7.  New  Mammalia  from  the  Quaternary  Caves  of  California,  by  William  J.  Sinclair 

8.  Preptoceras,  a  New  Ungulate  from  the  Samwel    Cave,  California,  by  Eustace  L.  Furlong  lOc 

9.  A   New   Sabre-tooth   from   California,   by   John   C.   Merriam     ......  5c 

10.  The  Structure  and  Genesis  of  the  Comstock  Lode,  by  John  A.  Reid       .....  loc 

11.  The  Differential  Thermal  Conductivities  of  Certain  Schists,  by  Paul  Thelen        .          .          .  25c 

12.  Sketch  of  the  Geology  of  Mineral  King,  California,  by  A.  Knopf  and  P.   Thelen   .          .          .  35c 
i:i.   Cold    \Yater    HHt    Along  the    West   Coast    of   the    Tinted    States,    by    Ruli  If   S.    flolway             .  2i><- 


LIBRARY  USE 

«HBN  TO  DESK 


i-,r     ,.MAIN  UB*ARY 
"!S?5^N  DEpARTMENT 


-. 

(B227S10)9412-A32 


.General  Library 

University  of  Calif ornia 

Berkeley 


NON-CIRCULATING  BOOK 


UNIVERf 

5m-9,'26 


